


the joytime of idling

by SydneyHorses



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/F, Fluff, Post-War, theyre in love!!! and its soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:53:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23923411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SydneyHorses/pseuds/SydneyHorses
Summary: Byleth convinces Edelgard to take a much needed (and desired) break.
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 2
Kudos: 76





	the joytime of idling

**Author's Note:**

> hi everyone!! i got approved for my undergrad thesis tonight, and i was really excited abt it so i thought i'd spread some more happiness :) this oneshot has been kicking around my head literally ever since edelgard said she wanted to experience the 'joytime of idling' with byleth and have a day where they ate sweets all day! hope you enjoy!

The war has been over for three months and Edelgard finally feels as if she has washed as much of the blood as she can off of her hands. Her rooms in the palace are smaller than they are in her memories, although she supposes that she’d been a little girl the last time she properly lived in them. She’s an adult now, and the emperor, and perhaps the ghosts of her past are no longer quite so terrifying as they used to be.

She rises with the sun, and walks over to the windows and looks out on Enbarr. The city had been ravaged by war, but each day the reconstruction efforts get a little further along, and each day they grow closer to a day where she can look at her people and not see traces of war on their faces. Edelgard smiles to herself and turns away from the window to start her day in earnest.

Her wife is already out and about, which isn’t surprising. Byleth seems to oscillate between being so tired that it’s all she can do to move, and going for days at a time without sleep. In that way, she reminds Edelgard of Linhardt. Edelgard takes a seat at her vanity and starts to brush through her hair, mentally going over her responsibilities for the day. Relatively slow, all things considered. She has plenty of meetings, of course, but they’re all the very least with people that have been historically reasonable to work with.

She’s pulled out of her reverie by the sound of her bedroom door opening. Even though the war is over and she’s happier in her day-to-day life than she ever could have imagine she would be, a part of her is always going to jump when someone unexpectedly approaches her. It’s a self-defense mechanism, one that was hard earned and has proven even harder to let go of.

But today, at least, there is nothing for her to fear. It’s only Byleth, kicking the door shut behind her and marching across the room. She has a small smile on her face, the kind that Edelgard would have done anything for back in her days at the academy. Such smiles are becoming more commonplace, but Edelgard thinks that they will always be gifts in her eyes.

Edelgard is so distracted by Byleth’s expression that she doesn’t notice the tray of sweets, and Byleth walks over, setting them gently on the edge of the bed. 

Edelgard laughs, “What’s all this?”

“You wanted a quiet day in,” Byleth says.

Edelgard has wanted a quiet day in since she was nine years old, but she has stopped thinking it would ever actually happen. Her cheeks grow warm, and she rises from her vanity and pulls her dressing gown a little tighter around herself. “I’m afraid I can’t abandon my responsibilities, even for you.”

Byleth’s smile doesn’t vanish, and something within Edelgard eases slightly at that reassurance that she hasn’t upset her love. “Hubert has your day well in hand,” Byleth says, walking over to Edelgard and taking both of her hands in her own. 

Edelgard shakes her head, “I should not leave Hubert to such things alone. He-”

“El,” Byleth interjects. It says something, about how much she loves this woman, that Edelgard melts just a little at the nickname. “During the war, you said all you wanted was to have a day where you stayed in bed and eat sweets.”

Edelgard laughs and squeezes her wife’s hands, “Well, yes, but-”

Byleth shakes her head, “It’s my responsibility to keep you happy.”

Edelgard bites her lip and looks up at Byleth. “Well,” she says, “I suppose a small break wouldn’t cause any harm.”

Byleth beams and bends down, kissing her once firmly on the lips and then scooping Edelgard up into her arms and carrying her over to their bed. Edelgard laughs and loops her arms around Byleth’s neck. She’s just as strong as her wife, if not more so, but she knows that Byleth revels in every opportunity she can to take care of her. Besides, it is not such a difficult thing, to have a beautiful woman that she loves whisk her off her feet and carry her to bed.

Byleth deposits her gently on the bed and looks down at her, that small smile still lingering on her face. They’re both learning how to express this joy, and there is no one else that Edelgard would rather learn with. She sits up in bed and grabs Byleth’s hand, pulling her down to sit next to her. Byleth sits carefully down at her side, pressing their legs together, and reaches forward to grab one of the pastries off of the tray.

Edelgard carefully selects one, and sets about eating the most unhealthy breakfast she’s ever had. It’s as if she’s a child again, and one of her eldest sisters has snuck her something out of the kitchens. She smiles at Byleth through a mouthful of crumbs, and Byleth reaches out and squeezes her hand. Edelgard flushes a little, and then gets back to her sweets.

Later, after she’s terribly full and has likely ruined all of her teeth, Byleth sets the tray down on the floor and climbs almost into Edelgard’s lap. She yawns and rests her head on Edelgard’s shoulder. “I’m going back to sleep,” she says tonelessly, in a way that does not inspire much argumentation or resistance in Edelgard.

Edelgard makes a small noise of agreement and lays down, tugging Byleth with her so that her wife is sprawled across her, her head tucked underneath Edelgard’s chin. “I really do have things that need to be done,” she protests. Byleth doesn’t respond, her eyes already drifting shut, and Edelgard feels whatever is left of her willpower crumbling. “Just a small nap,” she concedes, resting her hand on the small of Byleth’s back. Byleth burrows a little closer and hums. Edelgard smiles and closes her eyes, enjoying, for once, a peace that feels lasting.

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on tumblr at edelgardlesbians and on twitter @edelgardlesbian


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